Discover is a foundational module focusing on personal and professional development and preparing students for academia – the community, environment and activities associated with success in higher education and beyond. It equips students to pursue knowledge, engage in intellectual enquiry and critical thinking, and develop and share ideas within specialist and across broader disciplines. The curriculum consists of two interrelated components; i) understanding and developing knowledge, skills and wider attributes through university study and co-curricular activity; and ii) a programme-specific extended project that engages students in independent research in their subject area. In combination the module emphasises the joy of learning whilst developing key academic and professional skills, attitudes and behaviours necessary for success in study, in work and in life.
As such, this full-term module aims to support first year students' personal, professional and academic development within the context of Management Education and Learning at Birmingham Business School and the University of Birmingham. The module emphasises the importance and practice of situated learning, reflectivity and communities of practice within Management Education and Learning to develop a university career in addition to engaging students in what it means to be a responsible individual in terms of professional practice and how to approach their career development.
The first part of the module focuses particularly on: Academic skills such as critical thinking, academic writing, writing a literature review, academic integrity, referencing; and Personal and professional skills such as becoming an independent learner, personal and professional reflectivity in practice, interacting with others, and learning as part of a community of practice.
The second part of the module focuses more on: Research skills, such as how to conduct research using secondary data and documents and how to carry out a case study analysis on a responsible business issue; Personal skills such as becoming a responsible individual within organisation including resilience intracultural learning and diversity management; Professional skills such as career development and readiness, developing IT skills, CV writing, personal and professional reflectivity in practice, networking and personal branding, etc.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the module students should be able to:
Demonstrate engagement with own personal, academic and professional development activities and planning within the context of Management Education and Learning.
Employ critical thinking and critique academic work of others and selves.
Identify what reflective practice is and apply it to own personal and professional development.
Identify appropriate sources of data, start to practise research and analysis using various academic and secondary data sources.
Critically evaluate responsible business practices and ways to enhance them at an individual and organisational levels.
Assessment
Assessment Methods & Exceptions
Assessment:
1. Reflective portfolio (1,500 words in total) (50%) including:
Two reflective essays (2*250 words)
Literature Review (1,000 words)
2. Case study analysis (1,500 words) (50%)
Reassessment:
Reassessment by the failed component:
1. Reflective portfolio (1,500 words in total) (50%) including:
Two reflective essays (2*250 words) Literature Review (1,000 words)
